Volunteering: A Life Changing Experience

The benefits of volunteering abroad are sometimes indescribable and undefinable. Volunteering shapes a person’s heart, mind, and soul completely, the chance to share the resources of one’s voice and own two hands. An incomparable opportunity to fully release one’s hold on everything familiar. By simply opening your eyes and heart to the culture of a new place, you can have an entirely beneficial, life changing experience.

Elsa sharing smiles with children in the Philippines. Photo by Carter Brown

Gain A World Perspective. Seeing a completely new way of life will help you develop a more well-rounded perspective of the world. By stepping outside the borders of your home country and meeting people from around the world, you will learn how completely different life can be. You will gain an understanding of the problems in the world that exist outside your comfort zone, and have the chance to experience some of them yourself.

Realization of Blessings. Being exposed to poverty or a lack of resources while volunteering abroad will help you be more thankful for what you have back at home. Witnessing the struggles of others, will help realign your priorities in life, learn what really matters, and gain a more positive outlook on life.

Develop A Passion. Doing something you may never have the opportunity to do at home could help you find your niche. You can fulfill a lifelong dream to work in an orphanage or build a school. Exploring what the world has to offer will shape your future indefinitely and help your passion grow into a reality.

Giving Breeds Loving Hearts. Become a more understanding, compassionate, and empathetic person by giving your time and hard work for the benefit of others. By learning the power of giving, the power of receiving will be diminished. Sharing the struggles and problems of those in need will help you be less judgmental towards others.

Experience A Different Way of Life. Fully immersing yourself into alternative ways of thinking, speaking, and living will change the way you think about life as a whole. Learning a new language will expand the possibilities of your future. You will become a more adaptable person and be able to overcome the challenges more easily.

Once you learn these things, once you witness these situations, once you experience these new environments, you cannot turn back time and forget. You will leave your volunteer abroad trip changed forever, your mind shaped by what you learned. You will have completely changed your outlook on life and your future will be entirely revitalized.

About the Author

Elsa Thomasma Elsa received her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Between semesters of undergraduate study Elsa embarked on the biggest adventure of her life, when she decided to volunteer in the Philippines. To this day that decision stands as the most pivotal choice of her entire life. Elsa developed a close relationship with the nonprofit she worked with, the local people she came in contact with, and the fun-loving culture that surrounded her. After returning multiple times she began her own community center project in 2013, in a rural village called Cangumbang. She believes with a heart full of passion and a dedicated mind the future is truly limitless for anyone. Now living full time in the Philippines, Elsa works as Content Manager for the GoAbroad Philippines office, she works to expand the quality and quantity of information on the site, so everyone can find the resources they need to explore the world.